# Favorite Holiday Cookie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 2, 2014, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090 "2014-12-02T01:32:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090/21 "2014-12-02T15:53:13Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > **Pecan Butter Balls** - lots of butter, lots of (chopped) pecans, some flour, some sugar, roll into balls and bake. Slightly not-as-sweet as other cookies, but the butter flavor–you can feel your cholesterol raise with each bite. We make something called coconut date balls. I’m not sure they even count as a cookie since they’re not baked. Basically, finely chopped dates, butter, sugar, and egg are cooked on low heat in a skillet until it all starts to thicken up. Stir in chopped pecans and rice krispies and let cool. When cool, roll into balls and roll in coconut. Very labor intensive with all the chopping, stirring and rolling, but they are my favorite holiday treat. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090/22 "2014-12-02T16:04:46Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > We make something called coconut date balls. I’m not sure they even count as a cookie since they’re not baked. Basically, finely chopped dates, butter, sugar, and egg are cooked on low heat in a skillet until it all starts to thicken up. Stir in chopped pecans and rice krispies and let cool. When cool, roll into balls and roll in coconut. Very labor intensive with all the chopping, stirring and rolling, but they are my favorite holiday treat. Oh, I’m sold! Heading to the store, don’t wait up! 🙂 It’s a cookie if you applied heat. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090/23 "2014-12-02T17:57:40Z")
My wife used to make chocolate meringues: basically whipped egg whites with chocolate chips. Delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090/24 "2014-12-04T05:24:42Z")
Pepparkokkar. It’s a Swedish spice cookie I’m positive I’ve mangled the spelling of. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090/25 "2014-12-04T05:29:49Z")
Another vote for pfeffernusse. My german-swiss grandmother loved to bake and always went all out at Christmas. Fifteen kinds of cookies was a kind of minimum. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090/26 "2014-12-04T05:37:28Z")
My sister’s peanut butter and dark chocolate sandwich cookies (also her chocolate chip and her tea cakes and her snickerdoodles, but the peanut butter ones she only makes at Christmas) Chocolate crinkles Coconut meringue cookies ---
**Author:** ![NVME702-redux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a183cd/32.png) [@NVME702-redux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NVME702-redux)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090/27 "2014-12-04T14:52:11Z")
As a little Mexican girl, I remember being introduced to typical American holiday treats when we meet our new neighbors from Minneapolis back in 1979. Joanne and her family were rotund and socially forward. All their meals were a large production, planned out weeks in advance to accommodate their 5 kids, freezer bags sharpied with their contents and the date produced. I was in awe with the enormity of their entire lives. But when Christmas rolled around, that was when I really saw Joanne go all out. Every cookie that you can imagine, rum balls, coconut cut outs, jam filled thumbprints, icebox cookies, pfeffernusse…it was like a dream. It was also the first time I saw a flocked tree, decorated with teal blue ornaments and ice cold blue Christmas lights. It made our multi colored lights Christmas tree look like a patchwork concoction. Ok so yeah, my favorites were the cookies that were cutout with strawberry jam in the middle. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090/28 "2014-12-04T15:00:40Z")
Snickerdoodles! (Assuming they count as a “holiday cookie,” but that’s pretty much the only time I have them, myself, not being much of a sweets person.) But a well-made snickerdoodle with a little bit of that cream-of-tartar tang to it is simple perfection. Growing up, though, we always had Polish _kolaczki_ around, so there’s that, too. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Dracula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/54ee81/32.png) [@Count\_Dracula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Dracula)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090/29 "2014-12-04T15:12:23Z")
Sugar cookies! Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090/30 "2014-12-04T16:58:27Z")
My grandmother (and mom) make a spiral kind of gingersnap cookie for Christmas that is the only essential Christmas cookie, in my mind. I’m fairly sure the recipe is Danish by way of Illinois. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090/31 "2014-12-04T18:01:37Z")
I always make 2 cookies for the holidays, both my grandmother’s recipes. Anginettes and Pizzelles. I also inherited her Pizzelle iron, very old school. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090/32 "2014-12-04T18:13:06Z")
Gramma’s pizzelles, Great Aunt Midge’s nut rolls, my killer rum balls, and anybody’s peanut butter cookies with the Hershey kiss on top! ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090/33 "2014-12-04T18:16:12Z")
[Peanut butter criss cross cookies](http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/peanut-butter-cookies/6aa18699-bad1-442a-97bf-388003acce2d). Haven’t had them in years actually but they were a Christmas staple when I was growing up. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090/34 "2014-12-05T01:06:14Z")
I am thinking of the light colored ones with icing that are in the front of Walmart as you go in. They are what I call soft sugar cookies, with icing. I believe that they often call them Toll House cookies. It would be worth a person’s life to get between me and some of those. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090/35 "2014-12-05T02:19:06Z")
I love shortbread. Christmas is the only time I’ll lay down the bucks for a decent cookie. Since nobody else in the family shares the appropriate appreciation I get most of them to myself. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090/36 "2014-12-05T03:31:56Z")
there are so many good cookies. there are reasons very different which make them good cookies. That’s unpossible to answer. though Bourbon Ball was always a favorite. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-holiday-cookie/706090.md?page=1)